I can't see elementary students handling this: the song's too fast and they won't be able to do the discussion task (slide 5), as it requires them to use past tense forms.

You use the passive in the instructions on slide 2 (You will be shown…). Consider You will see instead.

Check that the students understand what they have to do in each task. After you give your instructions, nominate a student and ask him/her, "What are you going to do?" If he/she can't give a simple reply, there's a fair chance the instructions have not been understood.

What's the word represented by the phonemic symbols at the bottom of the left-hand column on slide 7? It doesn't look like along. Try using the Lucinda Sans Unicode font for phonemic spellings.

Why not get them to sing along with the song as a final activity? Stress-free and fun for younger learners.

It's a nice idea, but I have found that song-based lessons are not always as much fun for the students as teachers sometimes seem to think. Even when selected by a class, or usually one student in a class, that doesn't mean the song in question is actually teaching anything, or even that listening to it in a lesson is that enjoyable an activity to begin with.

I have found that students enjoy singing- to a point. I have many young students who can sing the alphabet song but cannot recite the alphabet if asked. They certainly cannot gap fill missing letters in a series. p _ r. I think singing can be a fun and constructive part of a lesson or syllabus but I don't feel it can be the primary methodology. That's MHO and experience anyway.

I think that this is a great often untaped and rarely used resource, most kids will happily join in this activity and it has great long term memory retention potential.
Recently I was reminded by an old student I taught many moons ago about a song she still remembers to this day it was "Friday I'm in love" by The Cure. she still knew all the words and even sang it to her parents, she married 2 years ago and even sings it to her baby daughter.
Good luck to the OP, I for one will follow his progress with interest.

Joined: 21 Apr 2014Posts: 171Location: has served on a hiring committee

Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 11:04 am Post subject:

Sashadroogie wrote:

It's a nice idea, but I have found that song-based lessons are not always as much fun for the students as teachers sometimes seem to think. Even when selected by a class, or usually one student in a class, that doesn't mean the song in question is actually teaching anything, or even that listening to it in a lesson is that enjoyable an activity to begin with.

But then I am a grumpy old codger, so don't pay me any heed...

I'm the same, unfortunately. It was especially difficult with students in the Middle East who couldn't grasp the idea that they could learn from music.